By Tripp Henderson | Staff Writer
A man dressed up as a brick wall, opinionated headwear and an abundance of USA chants — these were some of the sights and sounds from the historic Republican National Committee midterm convention in Dallas Wednesday and Thursday.
The unprecedented midterm convention is the first of its kind and comes amid several highly contested House and Senate races, including the Texas Senate face-off between Ken Paxton and James Talarico.
Top Republican leaders took the stage to address an audience of attendees, delegates and members of the media, with President Donald Trump taking center stage Wednesday to deliver a closing speech on day one of the self-described “Trump-a-palooza.“
Amid the convention’s events and a nearly two-hour speech by Trump filled with compliments, comedy, cheers and boos — especially for Senate Majority Leader John Thune — the message to young voters remained largely unaddressed.
The incumbent party traditionally struggles in midterms, so Trump emphasized the importance of citizens getting out to vote to bring home victories for Republicans in November.
“The midterms are not supposed to be won by the sitting president, and we’re going to change that,” Trump said. “I’m asking you to pretend like I’m on the ballot.”
Trump highlighted what he described as “the most successful two years … in the history of the presidency,” and said that if Republicans win the House and Senate, every adult U.S. citizen would receive a $5,000 dividend. Trump did not explicitly address the role young voters will play in the midterm elections.
USA Today reported Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, and according to Pew Research, two-thirds of voters ages 18-24 identify as democrats. In light of this, Frisco freshman Beckett Rakes emphasizes the importance of young Republicans being politically involved.
“I think there’s a pervasive apathy spreading through a lot of Gen Z,” Rakes said. “Obviously, you’ve got radicals on both sides … and I think in the middle, you’ve got a giant silent majority that’s very apathetic towards politics and very turned off by all other things happening now. I think it’s important to know you should step up and be involved in politics.”
Trump endorsed far-right Republican Ken Paxton over the more moderate incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas primary. A poll released by the University of Texas and Texas Politics shows Democratic candidate Talarico with a slim 42% to 39% lead over Paxton in a state that has not elected a senate democrat since 1988.
Rakes said that he worries Paxton marginalizes young moderate voters.
“I think my fear is that by focusing on Trump and Ken Paxton, you’re polarizing a lot of the moderate Republicans and the younger generation,” Rakes said.
Trump’s remarks included no shortage of jabs and jokes. He poked fun at Paxton’s style and nicknamed Democrats “Dumbocrats.”
Rakes believes that younger voters care more about “policy and good character, and not grandiose gestures or comedy.”
A recent poll by the Harvard Institute of Politics reports that both Democrats and Republicans are approved by only about 25% of young voters, and that a candidate who shares their values is a priority.
“I think, honestly, character and virtue [are] important,” Rakes said. “I think we’ve forsaken choosing a candidate that has both great policies and great character, and we choose one or the other. So I’d like to see a candidate that blends both of those together.”
Heading into the midterms, 49 million young Americans are eligible to vote, and with polls showing they feel neither party represents them well, that base remains largely up for grabs.
